QUEENS, NY – One game. That’s it. One game of the Subway Series has been played, and already Yankees fans are behaving like they’ve planted a flag on the moon somewhere beyond the Shea Bridge at Citi Field.
Slow down, everybody.
Yes, the Yankees won Game 1 in Queens. Good win, too. They hit enough, pitched enough, and looked every bit like a team expecting October baseball. But before anyone starts printing “Bronx Owns New York” T-shirts, it’s worth remembering the Mets are currently being held together with chewing gum, athletic tape, and whatever spare body parts are available in the trainer’s room.
And then, because apparently the baseball gods enjoy dark comedy, former Yankees closer Clay Holmes — now wearing orange and blue — took a line drive off the leg and suffered a broken fibula. A BROKEN FIBULA! Another ONLY METS injury for this f’n franchise.
The injury cast a shadow over what otherwise would’ve been your standard loud, chaotic, beautifully irrational New York baseball night.
The Yankees deserve credit for winning in a difficult environment. Citi Field was loud and buzzing. But let’s not ignore the context here. The Mets lineup has more missing pieces than a yard sale jigsaw puzzle. Key players are hurt, the pitching staff has been shuffled like a deck of cards, and the roster often looks like manager Carlos Mendoza is selecting names from a raffle bin.
Yet despite all that, Yankees fans spent the night online acting like they had just swept the Dodgers in the World Series.
It was one game. The Mets are a Triple A team. Relax, Yankee fans.
And frankly, the game revealed something Yankees fans probably don’t want to hear. Their own flaws still exist. The offense can disappear for stretches longer than an F train during rush hour. #OhSnap… Outside of Aaron Judge, consistency sometimes feels optional. The bullpen isn’t great, and nobody in the Bronx should pretend injuries can’t derail a season because both New York teams are learning that lesson in real time.
Meanwhile, the Metsies continue to scrap. Say what you want about them — and New Yorkers always do — but this team hasn’t rolled over despite the injuries. Younger players are contributing and they’ve stayed competitive enough to remain annoying. That sums up the majority of Mets baseball since 1962.
ANYWAY…
Yankees fans can enjoy the win. But maybe keep the parade route folded up for now. If you lose to this iteration of the Mets you should be embarrassed.
